Policing By Contempt – Mr Commissioner 5%

The UK Governments Police & Crime Commissioner elections are in a shambles as less that 15% voted across Cornwall for any of the 10 candidates standing.

As one wag said, ‘This is not policing by consent, it is policing by contempt!

Brought in by the Conservative & Unionist Party – Liberal Democrat coalition government without any plebiscite or even clear mandate, this seemingly unsupported and largely invisible election process must be termed a clear failure, and contempt by the UK government for the will of the people in the UK, and in Cornwall!

Will the people have to live with this failure for the next few years? Can this be a catalyst for real return of policing to the consent of the people of Cornwall and not remote unresponsive monolithic structures across borders.

For more background: http://www.cornwall24.net/2011/07/policing-in-cornwall-may-be-even-more-from-up-country/

Only 15.5% of the eligible voters on the roll voted, either at a polling place or by postal vote.

Results from the election for P&C Commissioner for Devon and Cornwall (Nov, 2012):

First preference carried into 2nd round:
Anthony Hogg (Con) 55,257
Brian Greenslade (Ind) 24,719

First preference eliminated before 2nd round:
Nicky Williams (Lab) 24,196
Brian Blake (Lib Dem) 23,948
Robert Smith (UKIP) 16,433
Ivan Jordan (Ind) 12,382
William Morris (10,586)
John Smith (10,171)
Graham Calderwood (Ind) 8,667
Tam Macpherson (Ind) 4,306
Total votes counted against candidates: 196,987
Rejected papers 6,339 – this figure is provisional, and no details to hand – whether blank, illegible, or so called ‘spoiled’ by writing over with personal statements (such as ‘no politics in policing, or ‘Kreslu Kernow Lemmyn’, etc.)

Total voters: 203,326
Turnout reported as 15.15% across the overall registered electorate of approx. 1.3m.

In Cornwall when ‘spoilt’ ballots are included in ‘turnout’ (which does not happen in official figures) real turnout is estimated as below 15%.

Second round count:
Anthony Hogg 14,162
Brian Greenslade 12,524
Spoilt ballot papers identified were 17,897 in this round – ie. of those voting for the 8 eliminated candidates but not indicating a 2nd preference for one of the two remaining candidates

Total votes in the final determination (106,662, or 52.5% of total voters, or 8.13% of the electorate):
Anthony Hogg 69,419 (65.08% – but only 34.14% of voters, or 5.29% of total eligible voters)
Brian Greenslade 37,243 (34.9% – but only 18.3% of voters)

Mr 5%, Tony Hogg, is now Police & Crime Commissioner for Cornwall, Isles of Scilly and Devon, overseeing the Devon and Cornwall Police, with the backing of just over 5% of the electorate.

Good luck with that!

By a Cornwall24.net reporter  17 November, 2012